Castles, houses, flower gardens, post offices, churches and restaurants designed in ancient French architecture now present in the village France on the top of Ba Na Mountain in Da Nang city. It has made this place become a famous tourist resort in Central Vietnam, known as Bana Hills. Turn back the hands of time, in the Middle Ages, they were not old houses, old villages, and old towns, but they were the “modern” castles for the noble and high-class people.

the village France

ancient French architecture

If saying “it’s old for him but new for me”, Bana Hills creates a special highlight of “Da Lat” in the Central Vietnam, attracting many tourists nationwide and worldwide. Also, in the ancient town of Hoi An, walking on three small streets named Hai Ba Trung, Phan Chau Trinh, Tran Phu, if we had gone there in the 13th – 14th century, we would have felt nothing old. Now in the atomic era, the 21st modern century – the time of prosperity these houses are retained, and turned into an old town. Tourists seem to be contemplating on what appearing in their eyes with the ancient tile roofs, mossed-wall houses imprinted in the dust of time and the people ‘s living condition in ancient time … They are business tips and tricks in tourism, they have done business as “ancient dealers” without ancient artifacts but they create the ancient space to show the goods. But there are many tourists paying the visit.

The hotel is designed as an ancient castle

However, I think that the feeling of nostalgia with regard to “ancient roads with carriage and the soul of grass in autumn /in the old basement of the ancient castle, there is no shadow of any people ” (by Ba Huyen Thanh Quan) tourists find a new feeling in the beauty of the ancient soul, but how long have they kept such a new feeling after experience? Based on the point of view of the element, whichever belongs to the crude elements, when familiar, they cannot be kept long in the human beings’ mind. My student is Mat Quang Dung, who was born in Da Nang where is about 20 km away from Hoi An, but 6 years ago, he never came back to the old town, so this time he got lost when he guided us to find a car parking in town. I recalled that in the past, in the 80s, I was in Da Nang, maybe for 5 years, I had not come to Non Nuoc stone carving village while many people from other provinces came there many times every year.

Non Nuoc stone carving village

the old town of Hoi An

The Church in ancient French architecture

Just before the end of October 2017 when I arrived in Bana Hills, I was stunned at the old castle which is the same as the castle in the European film; because the ancient costumes, ancient dance, ancient activities are reproduced here. And then, I had to keep silent in front of the old town of Hoi An, I felt the time seemed to be slow and bring me back to the ancient time and there was filled with an ancient space. And this time, maybe 10 years later, this nostalgic feeling about the old town will rise up in my subconscious mind and urge me, a traveler who lives far away, to come back to the old place.

The Buddha’s teachings were proclaimed more than 2,000 years ago. They are considered to be ancient, but those who practice Buddha dharma have never seen them as being old, because every time they practice his teachings, they have experienced new spiritual states. It is a miracle for those who practice the dharma seriously and methodically with right methods. Assuming that we practiced the Buddha Dharma for only a few months or several years then we feel bored, we should scrutinize ourselves.

ancient

In terms of the theory, the Buddhist sutras show the essence and true meaning of Buddha teachings which are hidden under every word and verse. How deep the Buddhist practitioners understand Buddha’s teaching is to depend on their knowledge and wisdom. Take meditation for instance, considering the 9 level of mind training, from the level of the mind focusing to the level of mind continuously focusing, to the mind pacifying and getting the one-pointed mind; how many new things with how deep emotional insight the practitioners experienced! The practice of meditation on Bodhicitta is the same. Each stage of the mind focusing from the partly mind focusing to the totally mind focusing and get one-pointed mind, the practitioners also experience the different levels of happiness and pleasure. All teachings from the Lord Buddha and Saints are often hidden the profound meaning beyond words. What the Buddha and the Saints have taught are new every day, every month and every year, but how new they are, it depends on the diligence and level of the cultivators, the practitioners can enjoy the different happiness and pleasure in different realms while the researchers, scholars and philosophers who spend much time studying on the secular things of the world cannot get.

Mat Quang Dung with Guru and his spiritual consort

From the point of the above view, we experienced that the doctrine and the teachings of Buddhism and other virtuous ones are new to those who invest seriously in parallel researching, studying and practicing them. Because the words from his speech are essence, so they should be immutable, indestructible by time, space, environment and circumstances; therefore those who practice the Dharma on the path to liberation are always fresh with a joyful mind. For what the pagan instructs or expresses is to concern only the crude elements such as the scene, the environment, the body and the external form of chanting; so those who practice on this path will feel uninterested in practicing and then feel boring. At that time, they feel tired and exhausted and they have spiritual extremists, cheat themselves with their own untrustworthy arguments

It is the reason why many different religions find the wisdom means while in application is suitable with the age, nationality, ethnicity. Otherwise there is only one body without soul, which means that is the kind of dogma more or less. Dogma leads to spiritual slavery, which does not belong to the teachings of the Buddha because Buddha’s teachings do not accept anything dogmatic; even when the teachings of the Buddha is completely true but the right teachings using the wrong method to practice will lead to bad results on the path to enlightenment.

I am delighted to read your article. I understood that although Buddha dharma exists more than 2000 years ago but we always have experienced new spiritual states when we practice the dharma seriously and methodically with right methods. I would like to express my gratitude to you for your teaching. I am full of happiness over Mat Dieu Hang’s translation. Her translation supports to flourish your discourse all over the world for the sake of all sentient beings.

May you and your consort live long for the sake of all sentient beings.

May Mat Dieu Hang have a good health and make progress on the path to enlightenment.

May the teachings of Lord Buddha are well over two thausen year old but they fulfill the right understanding of life, and death and rebirth. the Holly Dharma it allway’s be like new light throw alld Windows!!

I had not thought about Buddhism like that before reading this. This ancient practice feels very new to me even though I know it’s ancient There are new aspects about it each and every time i practice. Its is all new to me and I love it. I love learning the ways of ancient Buddhism but it fits well in the new society of today. we don’t have to dress it up in ancient costumes to make it relivent for today. Thank you far this lesson and all you d o an teach me. May you be blessed and reach enlightenment for your sake and the sake of all sentient beings

May the teachings of Lord Buddha are well over two thausen year old but they fulfill the right understanding of life, and death and rebirth. the Holly Dharma it allway’s be like new light throw alld Windows!!

I am highly impressed with the style of your writing. You start with the pleasent an meaningful description of the tourist place where you actually visited in a very artistically, attractive and in a lusid manner. When mind becomes calm, absorvant and receptive you start reaviling the real teachtings of the Buddha by peeling away the layers that have fallen as the dust of time, culture, context, religion and the mind s of the preachers of the Dhamma. You have rightly said that our coloured vision perceive it in various sheds and derives various meanings. Only pure meditative mind can perceive it in a pure form. In different stages of medition we become close to its real import, and related meaning. To my mind at the stage of the Neva sanna na sanna, the last stage we become capable to visualise it, as here one becomes free from all types of prejudices.

dear holy guru. Thankfully I read your article. Thank you for your wonderful pictures too. For me it is great to see. Yes Buddha’s teaching is based on their knowledge and wisdom. I think that’s the reason people prefer the Dharma Teaching more and more. We have a lot of beautiful churches in Europe, and I have seen some from the inside as well. It was a place of rest but also a bit scary. Jesus who hangs there nailed to the cross and people being told that if you do not live Christian values ​​you will go to hell. I grew up at the request of my parents without a religion but with good values. My children had to take religious instruction at school and I saw that they had a lot to talk to the religious teacher but also had questions. There was only historical knowledge but the children did not define themselves with this knowledge. There are Christian holidays here that have completely lost their meaning. An example is Christmas. Today, it’s all about material things during the Christmas season. But it’s not about the knowledge and the truth of things. Prayers that only benefit the individual without looking at the fellowship will never make us better. Only in Buddhism did I find the approach and also solutions like meditations and the enrichment of knowledge to see and understand more clearly. Our thoughts become our actions. Prayers that benefit everyone and practice true compassion help the community. I respect every religion of every human being. But for me personally, over 2,000 years of Buddhism teach the truth and wise knowledge, which is not just religion but also life philosophy, the only fulfilling way to free us from suffering. I feel fulfilled by your wise articles and my meditations I practice daily with dedication. I will continue to walk the Buddhist path. May all beings succeed in the Buddhist path. May all beings be free from suffering. May our holy Guru life long for the sake of all sentient beings. May all sentient beings achieve the happiness of Buddha s Nature. Om Mani Padme Hum

Thank you for sharing such beautiful thoughts and photo’s of your recent travels. It is absolutely essential for us to have loving kindness towards others. About this, there is no doubt. Loving kindness is the essence of bodhicitta, the attitude of the Bodhisattva. It is the most comfortable path, the most comfortable meditation. Without bodhicitta, nothing works. And most of all, your meditation doesn’t work, and realizations don’t come. Also, without bodhicitta it is very difficult to collect merits. Actualization of bodhicitta is the most perfect path you can take. Practicing Dharma brings about a complete change of attitude – an inner happiness. That is the true Dharma, not the word’s you say. Cultivating bodhicitta is an unbelievable transformation, the most comfortable path, the most substantial path. Bodhicitta meditation means you really want to change your mind and actions and transform your whole life. The best Dharma practice, the most perfect, most substantial, is without doubt the practice of bodhicitta. Lama Tsongkhapa said that bodhicitta is the foundation of all enlightened realizations. The bodhicitta energy that is derived from one’s own compassionate heart transforms all your ordinary actions of body, speech and mind – your entire life into positivity and benefit for others. I offer my sincere blessings and love to all the students and disciples of Song Nguyen Tantra House and especially to our esteemed Master and consort. Let us concern ourselves for the welfare of all mother sentient beings and wish for them to attain the highest realizations of bodhicitta and ultimately supreme happiness and Buddha Nature as well! Om Mani Padme Hum 🙂 Sincerely, Tantra Citta (Jeffrey Bernard Forest).

Dear holy Guru!
I read this article. Through the article I understand that which belongs to the crude element , although it was very prosperous times but over time it will become old, nostalgic and then gradually fade in our minds. Buddhism never became old even though it was born more than 2000 years ago. Because Buddhism is essence, immutable, indestructible by time, space, environment, and circumstances, therefore who practice the Dharma on the parth liberation are always fresh with joyful mind.

I would like to pray for Guru good health and longevity for the benefit of beings

Apart from the Guruji’s beautiful description of ancient French Architecture and the Natural beautiful scenerio of the village France with colourful illustrative pictorial display which highly impressed me, I have to underline the sentences in the body of this article that ” How deep the Buddhist Practicioner understand the Buddhist teachings is to depend on their knowledge and wisdom.” ! And also ” Buddhist teachings do not accept any thing dogmatic.!”

Always if old things combined with new things enlighten us with the real truth like the sprouting green leaves and colourful budding flowers blossom in an old branch of a tree in which the old whithering leaves and flowers falling !

i read this teaching with great delight having just seen a documentary on the very town you visited.

Like the architecture in a building the Buddha’s teachings are refreshed with each new day. A building when studied with an open mind can look different depending on light, weather or the time of day. Different shadows highlight different aspects of the building for us to marvel at and focus on.

The same can be said with the Buddha’s word. Although old, what is happening in ones life, the time of day, our experiences that day or just what we have planned can throw new delight and meaning in his lessons for us to focus on and take strength from. The same teaching could help us in so many ways and new things always taken from it.

thankyou for bringing his teachings to us.

May the holy Guru have good health and live long for the benefit of all sentient beings. May all sentient beings achieve the happiness of Buddha ‘s nature.

Thank you for your another meaningful lesion, after reading this article, I want to share some with your permission.

“Old is Gold” The teachings of the Buddha were proclaimed over 2560 years ago, they are ancient but it is a miracle for the people to have experience as new, fresh & joyful.

The teaching of the Buddha does not require its followers to have dogmatic belief in anything that the Buddha taught, The Buddha advised people, not to blindly accept what he taught, but research on them for themselves before accepting, for this reason his teachings have remain unaltered and valid for all time under all circumstances. There is no requirement to convert to any religious belief system. The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion. The Buddha taught Dhamma. The way of liberation which is universal.

It is now increasingly becoming clear to those who reach the frontlines of the modern science that what science has been discovering a new had been known to the Buddha over 2560 years ago.

The modern science providing mankind with material comforts but the main achievement of the success of the twentieth century science enables us to scientifically confirm that such concepts as impermanence, rebirth, telepathy, selflessness, human reproduction (Test tube baby) etctaught by the Buddha are true phenomena of nature which are beyond the dimensions and therefore beyond the classical science.

The teachings of the Buddha, founded based on the true reality as nature, have been recognized to be valid at all and under all conditions.

The teachings of the Buddha are the only doctrine based on the true reality of nature in its totality available in mankind.

It is now becoming increasingly clear that solutions to most human problems that arise because of over indulgence, excessive competition & exploding greed leading to acquiring & amassing unlimited wealth, increasing violence, terrorism, drug addiction and self-destruction lie in the teaching of the Buddha.

The goal of the teachings of the buddha is elimination of human suffering and making human beings happy and contented by the way of training their minds and creating self-discipline in them.

See the beauty & simplicity of his teaching: – whether our action is wholesome or unwholesome, depends on whether that action or deed arises from a discipline or undisciplined state of mind. It is felt that a discipline mind leads to happiness & an undisciplined mind leads to suffering. Bringing about discipline within one’s mind, the essence of the Buddha’s teaching.

The Yakkha Alavaka asked the Lord some questions.

What is the noblest wealth for man in this world? What pure action brings happiness? What is the sweetest of all tastes? What manner of living is said to be the noblest living?

The Lord replied: – Faith is the noblest wealth for a man in this world. The Dhamma well observed brings happiness. Truth is the sweetest of all tastes. The living endowed with wisdom is said to be the noblest thing

That’s why teaching of the Buddha is getting accepted the world over as the way of life of intelligent people in the third millennium.

Thank you very much again Dhamma Guru.

May Buddha Dhamma Sangha bless us all & help us to make the progress on the path of enlightenment.

Dear holy guru, thanks for that another important article throwing light on the 2500 years old teachings, the buddhist teachings are acceptable by all because the Buddha laid the structure of his dhamma on the fact of life.therefore, I have no doubt about it that it is the only teaching which will always remain new and are the teachings of all times.